1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to aerial image information and map information. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and system for overlaying orthorectified aerial images with map information tied to a State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS).
2. Description of Related Art
The U.S. Coast Guard and Geodetic Survey created the SPCS in the 1930s in order to provide a common reference system for surveyors and cartographers. The SPCS is a grid system developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 1938 for the irregular shapes of the individual United States. SPCS is widely used in public works and land surveys. A goal in creating the SPCS was to design a conformal mapping system for the entire country while maintaining a maximum scale distortion of 1 part in 10,000. In 1933 this was considered the limit of surveying accuracy. In order to attain this accuracy, the larger states needed to be divided into smaller zones of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS). Each zone or FIPS has its own central meridian or standard parallels to maintain accuracy.
Traditional title reporting may be based upon survey and engineering data in conjunction with legal description data found in county recorder's offices. Aerial image data is useful for planning real estate development and evaluating the present use of real estate today. It would be advantageous to integrate aerial image data with conventional SPCS coordinates and include legal information to obtain a more comprehensive description of the subject parcel(s) of real estate.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a method and system for overlaying orthorectified aerial images with map information tied to the SPCS.